Libya's coast guard said Saturday that it intercepted 75 Europe-bound Arab and non-Arab migrants off the country's Mediterranean coast.
Spokesman Ayoub Gassim said that a rubber boat carrying migrants from Bangladesh, Morocco, Somalia, Algeria and Sudan was stopped Friday some 110 kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli.
He said the migrants were given humanitarian and medical aid before being taken to a detention center in the northwestern city of Zawiya.
A Spanish humanitarian aid group said Friday that its rescue ship has saved 123 migrants attempting a perilous crossing from Libya across the Mediterranean.
Open Arms said that it had taken the migrants on board during two separate rescue operations in the central Med and that it is looking for a safe port to disembark.
Libya has become a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe.
The International Organization for Migration says 840 people died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.
